PA man who duct-taped dog is fired from county job

Amy Worden, Inquirer Staff Writer

A northeastern Pennsylvania man convicted of tryiing to kill his dog by duct-taping her muzzle and legs, has been fired from his $32,000 a year county government job.

Pike County Commissioner Karl Wagner confirmed to the Pocono Record that Russell Seese had lost his job with the Pike County Conservation District

"We have been bombarded," Wagner said of the public outcry of complaints over the continued employment of Russell Seese, 27, of Greentown, after his conviction.

Seese was arrested in March after authorities were called to his home where they found a dog with its muzzle and paws duct-taped together. Seese admitted to police that he had tortured his dog Lexi, a tan, female Labrador mix.

Seese was convicted of two counts of cruelty last month and given a 48-hour to 12- month sentence. He also was fined $500.

But dog lovers immediately registered their anger via social media, phone calls and emails, over the light sentence and the fact Seese was still employed by the county as a resource conservationist, where he worked with children.